Brittany McKewn of Asheville, North Carolina wore a hat before the 148th Kentucky Derby race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Charlie Riedel/AP Closed subtitles
When thousands of visitors enter Churchill Downs for the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday, they will encounter manicured lawns, rainbows of rainbows, clothes, suits and hats, and thoroughbreds ready for the race.
No tickets? Well, it's the glitz and charm of the big day.
In the Derby you will see a bunch of hats and decorations. feather. Lace. Flowers. cowboy. Fedora. Wide bridge.
"The bigger, the bigger. We want you to stop everyone's opinion," said Rachel Carroll, co-owner of Hat Girls, featured Milliner at Derby for the third consecutive year.
By 8 a.m. Thursday, after Carroll had packed up the shop the night before, Carroll unpacked it in a two-day pop-up store at a hotel a few miles from the ground.
From January to May, Hat Girls received about 2,000 orders for Derby Hats. Carroll said about half of the clients are locals and half are country people.
Making hats requires “creativeness, originality, and ensuring that customers feel confident when they walk out of the hat shop – but we can bring them there.”
Carroll said the Derby hat trend hasn't changed much, but this year, green or yellow-shaded hats have been particularly popular. She added that visitors have attracted charming people over the past decade, which is a headband with some kind of decoration.
Some people will try to wear the biggest hat, but many guests like something more functional, said Amy Lawyer, chairman of the Horse Administration at the University of Louisville Business School.
"Encountering people are always popular because they tend not to catch too much in the wind," the lawyer said. "They don't hit people, they can ride in cars easier."
Customers can also choose a retro-style hat that goes back to the derby roots with a larger and brittle silhouette and lots of flowers and feathers, Carroll said.
The first Kentucky Derby was held in 1875, with the hat relatively early, around 1900. Derby website.
There are betting windows everywhere. The lawyers say the Derby makes betting as accessible as possible, from the betting app, signing guides you on how to bet with the appropriate terms and put it into the manner of Churchill Downs employees.
“People at the betting window are very patient with you because they want to make sure you feel comfortable and then come back to bet,” she said.
But easy access can cause some confusion.
“The people behind you are probably those who are impatient, so it is recommended that you learn the program before you reach the betting window and you know which horse you will choose when you get there,” the attorney said.
However, there are several restrictions.
In Kentucky, you have to be at least 18 to gamble, and in Towns, you have to bet at least $2.
No ceiling - but special windows with high rollers.
Attorneys say about 20,000 purebred foals are born in North America each year. Breeders want to bring horses to the derby, with a shot - only 3-year-olds can compete. Their chances are thinner, as only 20 horses will stand out from the starting line of Churchill Downs.
Before this, horses must pass year-round trials. This year's qualifying matches are held around the world, including in the United States, Japan, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
"There are a lot of people who have connections and memories with every horse, and I think it's always important to remind people that it's not just these people's horses," the lawyer said. "It's their passion, it's their livelihood. It's their hopes and dreams."
Once the horse's buttercream is in full bloom, they arrive at the derby, and their side are new crew members, worship fans, longing gamblers and photographers.
Lawyers say that for many Colts, the Derby is the most horses they compete for, the majority of the people they go through, and the longest distance they participate in (1 1/4 miles).
“It’s not necessarily a natural thing for a horse,” she said. “So, this horse is going through a lot of new experiences, which makes it very exciting and truly unpredictable.”
Churchill Downs’ horizon is two white spires – double spires.
They didn't pop up until 1895, 20 years after Churchill Downs opened the door. They were built by 24-year-old Joseph Dominic Baldez, who was directed to make the facility even more picky.
Once the visitors arrive in Towns, there is a statue of Hall of Fame Jockey Pat Day, who won the derby once, Preakness five times and Belmont twice. (A horse and jockey must win all three games in the same year to be considered a triple crown.)
There is also the statue of Aristides, the first horse to win the Derby, Oliver Lewis riding, jockeys Edgar Prado and Barbaro won the Derby in 2006.
"The Derby Museum is also a very special place, and if someone hasn't been to Louisville before and doesn't know much about the Derby, or even doing that, it's a great museum," the lawyer said. "They did a great job."
Additionally, the seats were recently built on the first round of the track. Here, photographers take their "money-making" - horses and jockeys around the corners, crowds roaring in the background, with double spires above their heads.